Ewww…Boys
We’ve all heard the jokes about ‘Chick Lit,’ perhaps endured the scornful looks of high-brow readers as we’ve furtively pored over an Oprah Book Club selection. Yes, Chick Lit is viewed as the stinking bottom of the literary heap.
To this I say puh-leze: have you ever read anything from the Men’s Lit market?
There are two choices, mostly from one primary author:
1. Boring jargon that reads like a submarine tech manual.
2. Ridiculous clichéd adventure novels.
It is the second which we shall lampoon today.
If you’re a guy, or if you know a guy, you are most likely familiar with the author who is the biggest offender. I shall spare him the shame of mention here. (His name rhymes with Hive Bussler.)
This is what happens in all the books: Handsome, reserved man embarks on adventure, often requiring a yacht and at least one badass motorcycle ride. The man is too closed off to commit, yet the women can’t resist him, so he has lots of sex, and leaves the women pining over his manly, departing form. And luckily, this (these) man (men) never have to work because they have an inheritance to live on, leaving time for all these great adventures.
The author in question is the worst of all. He has created two main characters who headline different adventure novels. One is rugged with dark hair and ‘piercing green eyes.’ The other is rugged with blond hair and ‘piercing blue eyes.’ The first has a trusty sidekick who is short and Italian. The other has a trusty sidekick who is short and Mexican. One collects cars; the other collects boats. And on and on.
Whenever my husband reads these, he reads passages out loud to me and we both laugh hysterically. But he keeps reading them, these silly books with cardboard characters who have names like Boulder Carrington and Bruce MightyTesticles, who go on the same adventure every time.
At least Chick Lit varies the subject matter somewhat.
These Men’s Lit books are like romance novels in reverse, with the reader lusting after the lives of these manly men. ‘Fess up guys: do y’all have a crush on Bruce MightyTesticles? Is that it?
Women want to know.
Bruce MightyTesticles at your service.
8 Comments
First of all, that’s a Fox Mulder action figure! (I know because… er… I have one somewhere around here…)
I think you’re barking up the wrong tree with Men’s “Lit” as defined here… that’s just to men what romance novels are to women. I think a better example of Men’s Lit (if we have to segregate here) would be John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee series. MUCH better.
ROFLMAO! I was sitting here thinking ‘hm, this action figure is oddly reminiscent of Fox Mulder’.
Welcome back, Rhys! and thank you for this insightful look into ‘Stud Lit’, for I had no idea there was even anything like Men’s Lit. Save maybe for James Bond novels.
About chick flicks varying the subject matter, i’m not that sure. There’s a whole lot of ‘girl wants to get married’ boojks out there
Thanks, Jon–good point!
Karine–I love the term ‘Stud Lit’–perfect!
And why do you both know who Fox Mulder is?
(How Stud Lit is that name?)
How do I know who Fox Mulder is? Seriously?
…either you’ve never seen “The X-Files” or you have and you don’t think anyone else has…
I found the link to your journal while I was browsing around ProBlogger and I’m glad I made the trip over here. This was an hilarious post. I feel as though I’ve read all of those books now, even though I’ve never glanced inside a cover. This sort of fiction is all about wish-fulfilment, I suppose. I just find it ironic that the male version involves having mad sex with women and never having to marry them, whereas much of chicklit involves women finding that perfect man to marry or at least move in with. A point to ponder, I think.
I’m known to have seconds of brilliance
Unfortunately they’re outnumbered by many seconds of sheer stupidity. alas
I’ve always thought that Mulder would be a great name for a dog actually
Oh, and I’m an x-phile.
OMG I recognized the Mulder doll…errr…action figure (snicker)
Being a used book seller, I have on occasion gotten some “Stud Lit” (great term!) and endeavored to read them. It is indeed quite horrid LOL
I know I’m one of the few women who read this type of stud lit but I enjoy it for the escapism and the feeling that perhaps I could also be invincible. Of course, I never identify with the women in the story, just the hero.